


Canoe Conversations

by HectateHufflepuff



Series: Solangelo one-shots [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Camp Half-Blood, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2016-12-04
Packaged: 2018-09-06 11:38:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8749198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HectateHufflepuff/pseuds/HectateHufflepuff
Summary: The small talk Will and Nico made whilst canoeing on the lake, featuring a rude interruption by a certain Colossus Neronis.Apollo/ Lester, Percy, Kayla and Austin are only referenced, and do not actually feature in this one-shot.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is one version/ headcanon of what I imagine Nico and Will were discussing in the canoe towards the end of The Hidden Oracle. I just really felt like writing some Solangelo fluff!  
> Please comment opinions and/ or any constructive criticisms you might have, and thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy it!

Nico had suggested the canoe ride, to help Will relax a little bit. Not only was will the Senior Councillor for his cabin, as well as the best healer on camp (Nico was pretty sure the infirmary would crumble without him), but to top it all off Will’s dad was mortal. Which for the vast majority of the population was fine, normal even. Not when you were a member of Cabin 7, though. Then, your dad was Apollo (or, one of your dads if you were Kayla, but Kayla is very special), and he should definitely remain a god- especially with the size of his ego. But something had happened, and Apollo had been cast down to Earth via a dumpster as a mortal; had acquired an overlord called Meg, otherwise known as Crotchkicker McCaffrey; had pestered Percy Jackson for an afternoon; then had fainted on campus, to nearly be burned alive after all of that when Will tired giving him nectar.

“Lester Papadopoulos, though.” Murmured Nico. “If I needed any further evidence of who my least favourite god is, it’s right there. He turns his children into trees, he blasts hotels apart and he names people Lester Papadopoulos.”

Will stopped and stared at Nico in disbelief for a second, holding his paddle still. Totally unaware and still deep in thought, Nico continued paddling, only realising Will was staring at him when Nico lifted his head, about to complain about the canoe spinning in circles.

“Paddle then, please,” moaned Nico. “Spinning boats aren’t good on empty stomachs.”

“Canoes,” responded Will, instantly, then, “Haven’t you eaten today?” Nico looked shiftily at their reflection on the camp lake for a second, and Will decided to let him off this once, to bring the conversation back on track. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter if he’s called Lester Papadopoulos or Nicholas The Angel In Italian, I nearly killed him! I didn’t think to check if he had any mortal characteristics and I tried giving him nectar anyway!”

“But you didn’t kill him,” Nico emphasised, not rising to the bait. “This is such an unusual situation, you couldn’t have been expected to know.” Gently, Nico placed his hand on Will’s forearm. “Hopefully there won’t be a next time, but if there is, then you know now.”

Will nodded glumly, then said, “I wonder how Meg is. Where she is. Apollo left so suddenly, and Chiron himself can’t get his head around that Emperor bombshell.” Will was trembling again.

“Meg is alive. Kayla and Austin, too, Will. I know it’s hard- trust me, I do- but we’ve got to hope for the best.” Nico became more animated, gesturing a little with his arms, and Will had to grab onto the side of the canoe to try steadying it. “Apollo is one of the good gods, not that I’d tell him that myself. Like you’ve always said, he interacted with you all quite a lot, which is why his radio silence these past few months has been so weird. He won’t stand to see any more of you hurt. I’m sure.” Nico stared at Will, trying to emphasise just how serious he was being, and how much Nico was worried for Will. Ever since Nico’s return from Tartarus, his eyes had been pale and brittle, like a shattered pane of glass. But gradually, every time Nico felt passionately about something, his eyes would briefly regain some of their old colour, natural and soft, like freshly turned earth. They were that colour now. Despite the situation, Will couldn’t get enough.

Despite his thoughts being on Michaels and Lees and a dozen golden shrouds going up in flames, but he tried for a smile anyway and said, “Connor Stoll has had a rough few days.”

Nico nodded sombrely, but he was smirking as he said, “At least the hair graft went well.”

“Of course it did. I did it. I’m a great healer.”

The pair burst out laughing, and Nico reached out and held Will’s hand. With his free hand, Will pulled his paddle into the canoe, dropping it beside both their feet, and took Nico’s off his, piling Nico’s paddle on top of his own. Then, quickly, Will jumped up, spun around and perched next to Nico on his seat, huddling them together and with four hands holding each other tightly. Slowly, slowly, Nico leaned over and rested his head softly on Will’s shoulder, and Will’s heart felt like it might explode. Medically bad, but it felt so good. They stayed like that for a little while, just enjoying the peace and serenity of the lake, and hoping the water nymphs wouldn’t try spreading any more rumours around camp again. (Percy had sworn down the nymphs said they’d seen Will and Nico down by the lake one night, cuddling until it got too cold for the son of Apollo, and in retaliation Nico had kept summoning small bones to appear in Percy’s pockets, so Mrs. O’Leary hadn’t stopped licking him all day. Nico had called it quits when Percy started to get friction burn- hellhound tongues aren’t exactly soft and cuddly, whether or not the hellhound itself is.)

Just as Will was about to suggest heading back, Nico cocked his head. Will glanced at him quizzically, and Nico said, “Can’t you feel it?”

“Feel what?” Will said, confused. Then, after a second of quiet concentration, Will murmured, “Actually, I’m hearing something…”

Breathing in deeply, Nico hesitated a second before murmuring, “So, there’s something about that is heavy enough to be squashing skeletons buried 6 feet underground, but it’s also far away enough so that a son of Apollo is only just hearing the footfalls. Might not be coming to camp, right?”

The footfalls got louder. Nico and Will glanced at each other.

“I can shadow travel us to the mainland. There’s enough shadows in this canoe.”

Will shook his head, but the thumps were getting louder and the lake was starting to ripple, so maybe it was just Will being thrown about a bit. “We’re senior counsellors, we should put this canoe away then head to Chiron, see if he knows what this is about.”

“If something’s about to attack camp, I highly doubt one canoe will make any dif-“

A splashing noise roared behind them, like a wave crashing against a cliff front. A metal cliff front. Both campers tried to turn around to look, but they were packed tightly onto their bench, and there was not a lot they could do anyway. Something looming and bronze passed by them, sending a wave so big it capsized the canoe, and by the time they both had their heads above the water again, it was wading onto dry land. A giant statue. A naked giant statue.

In a mocking but not cruel way, Nico put on a voice and echoed, “Sure, we need to put the canoe away! That is priority right now!”

“Shut up, dork,” sighed Will. “I sure do hope it’s not my dad that’s naked and bronze over there.”

Nico began swimming to shore, but before he set off, he couldn’t resist. “Whoever it is, they’re hot.”

Will made a choking sound, coughed once, and started racing to the shore next to his significant annoyance, ready to face the next challenge.


End file.
